


get to know ya

by rhodeytony



Series: sugar & spice [1]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: First Dates, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Pre-Relationship, arthur is a temp barista, eames is a teacher, it’s cute i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-26 10:51:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14999327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhodeytony/pseuds/rhodeytony
Summary: sometimes, eames just doesn’t want to get up and go to work. luckily, there’s a barista at the coffee shop he frequents that might make it all worth it.





	get to know ya

**Author's Note:**

> completely un-beta’d, so all mistakes are mine. another one of my 3 am works 
> 
> title is from a song called get to know ya by NAO! (i suggest listening, it’s a good song)
> 
> uhhh my first fic for inception & this pairing so i hope you like it and that it’s not extremely out of character. if it is, i am so sorry.

[7:30 am]

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

____

__

Eames groaned as he rolled over and slammed his hand on the snooze button to his alarm clock. He rolled onto his back and slowly opened his eyes, looking up at the ceiling. The sun was just starting to pop up outside, little rays of sunshine shining through the window. Birds were chirping. A beautiful day to be stuck at work. 

It wasn’t that Eames didn’t like his job, because he did! He loved his job. He was a kindergarten teacher at the elementary school down the street and those kids brought him joy every day! But, Eames was tired. Who isn’t tired on a Wednesday?

Eames always tried to get a good eight hours of sleep every night but last night, his mate, Yusuf, had kept him worrying about some girl that he’d met while working a shift at the bar. So Eames, being the good friend he is, talked him down and comforted him. 

With a yawn, Eames got up and started his morning. Walking down the hall to the kitchen he started the coffee pot so that hopefully, if he was lucky, his shitty coffee maker would maybe have brewed enough for half a cup. If he was lucky. 

He shuffled towards the bathroom to take a leak, wash his face, brush his teeth. He had showered last night when he got done talking to Yusuf so he didn’t see the point in showering now. 

Eames was known by the teachers as an eccentric dresser. He wore bright coloured clothes and loud patterns. Nothing ever really… matched, but that was okay with him. The kids loved it, so that’s all that really matters to him.

Today, he decided on a yellow button down shirt with blue and red geometric shapes on it and brown pants. Casual. For him, anyway. 

As he walked to the kitchen, he noticed that the coffee maker had stopped halfway through brewing and barely made enough coffee for a quarter of a cup. Groaning, he dumped the coffee out and made a mental note to buy a new coffee pot later. He’d just stop on the way to work to get coffee. 

[8:00 am]

The coffee shop Eames normally frequented was a little place maybe five minutes from the school. It was his favourite place to get coffee and little breakfast pastries. His friend, Ariadne, owned the place and was excited to show him. Now, he went to the coffee shop almost more than his own apartment. 

Walking up to the counter, he smiled at the barista behind the bar. It wasn’t the usually girl, Ariadne, who took his order. It was some bloke. About his height with slicked back hair. He was wearing a sweater vest, his apron neatly tied and pressed flat against him. No wrinkles.

“Hello. What can I get you?” he asked, looking up at Eames. He had to admit, the guy was quite gorgeous. So clean and kempt.

“Uh, a medium latte, please” Eames ordered. He took his card from his wallet and held it out to the barista. When the guy took it from him, their fingers brushed and Eames felt a shiver go up his spine. 

“Oh! You’re Eames. Okay, Ari has a note somewhere that says how you like your drink” The guy said, looking around the machine and pen cups. He made a little noise when he found the sticky note which apparently held Ariadne’s instructions.

“Sorry, that’s rude of me to not introduce myself. I’m Arthur, Ariadne’s friend. She’s on vacation so I’m watching the shop for her” Arthur said, not really looking at Eames— or even facing his general direction — but talking at him.

“Ah, you know Ariadne. You seem very familiar” Eames responded, sitting down at the breakfast bar. He watched Arthur walk around the machines, picking up stuff and pulling levers. Taking a peek at his ass once in a while because well, Eames did like to enjoy the finer things in life. 

“You’ve probably met me at one of her get togethers, since she’s always having them. And for what? They’re so unnecessary sometimes” Arthur rambled as he waited for the coffee to brew.

“I can agree with you there, darling” Eames said. He could see a blush creep up Arthur’s neck at the pet name. 

“Here you are. Nice to meet you, Mr. Eames” Arthur said, putting a sleeve on the cup and handing it to Eames. 

“You too, darling. I’m sure I’ll see you again if you’re here at around 3 o’clock” Eames said, a smile forming. Seeing a cute barista after what he knows is going to be a tiring day is just what he needs.

“I’ll be here till 5:00, Mr. Eames” Arthur responded, a condescending tone in his voice.

“Your condescension, as always, is very much appreciated, Arthur” Eames smirked before walking out of the shop. 

Maybe he was a little excited to get off work and work hasn’t even started yet. 

 

[3:15 pm]

He had a terrible day. Not just tiring, but terrible. 4 different kids had gotten into fights, 2 got bloody noses, 3 of them cried, one kid puked on his shoes and another kid peed himself during nap time. Eames was having a terrible day. 

He wanted a nap or a drink or a vacation. A vacation to Hawaii sounded so nice to him right now— beaches, sunshine, the sound of waves. 

Instead, Eames was walking towards his regular coffee shop to flirt with a cute barista and maybe ask him out for a drink because Lord knows he needs one. It was only Wednesday. 

The bell chimed as he walked into a mostly empty coffee shop. It was only a quarter past three so he wasn’t surprised to see nobody really there. 

“Mr. Eames, welcome back” a voice said, a playful tone in its voice. Eames felt himself cheer up a little as he sat at the breakfast bar.

Arthur, the barista, was walking towards him, a small smile on his face. His hair wasn’t as styled and slicked back as it was in the morning, but he still looked good. A little better, even.

“Hello, darling Arthur” Eames greeted, resting his head in his hands. The warmth and quiet of the coffee shop made his eyes a little droopy. He smiled lazily at Arthur who, in return, smiled back. Not quite a full smile, but something.

“You look like shit” Arthur commented and Eames chuckled. He probably did look like absolute crap, especially after the day he’s had. He knows that there’s probably marker on his face somewhere from where he had to wrangle it from a kid who just wasn’t listening. 

“You wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had, pet. I’m exhausted” he sighed dramatically and Arthur rolled his eyes. Arthur leaned forward onto his elbows, standing directly across from Eames on the other side of the counter.

“What happened?” He asked. He looked genuinely interested too, which shook Eames a bit because he’s never really had anyone interested in his day. Although, the only people he talked to were Ariadne and Yusuf…

“I’d be happy to tell you over drinks. Say, 7-ish at Lucky’s?” Eames grinned. Hopefully Arthur said yes because if not, then Eames would never show his face again until Ariadne got back from wherever she was. He would need to text her and ask where she was and why she didn’t tell him where she was. 

“Yeah, sounds good. Lucky’s at 7-ish… When is 7-ish?” Arthur asked, slightly raising one eyebrow. 

“Bugger if I know. Let’s make it 7:15” Eames said and Arthur nodded.

“It’s a date” Arthur said.  
“It’s a date” Eames agreed.

Eames got up and yawned, scratching at his jaw. “I’m going to go home now and nap so I’m not a total buzzkill on our date. See you later, darling” he said, throwing a wink at Arthur before walking out. The bell chimed as he left.

[7:30 pm]

“This kid, who’s like 5 at best, is just throwing punches! Darling, I’m telling you, this is one of the most hardcore fights I’ve seen my whole career!” Eames exclaimed, gesturing wildly with his hands.

Arthur was sitting across from him, laughing behind his beer. They’d only been at the bar for 15 minutes and as long as he could keep Arthur laughing, Eames never wanted to leave. 

“Are you telling me, that two 5 year olds got into a fight over one, single Lego?” Arthur asked, his dimples on full display and laughter in his eyes.

Eames reached out and poked one of his dimples, not being able to resist. The first time Arthur had shown them, he was absolutely mesmerised not being able to stop staring at them. They were just dimples, and he’d seen them before, but on Arthur it was like something else— like he’d never seem dimples; a whole new concept. 

“That’s exactly what I’m saying! It wasn’t even one of those big, block Lego’s! It was a regular sized rectangle and they were fighting over it! Anyway, I got them to break up but one kid had a bloody nose and had to sit in the nurse's office for an hour” Eames finished, taking a drink from his beer. 

“And you work at an elementary school. Not fight club?” Arthur asked. 

“Sometimes, I feel like I do work at fight club but you know, even if I did I couldn’t tell you” Eames teased. 

Arthur rolled his eyes. 

“So, tell me, Mr. Eames, why do you work at an elementary school? You don’t seem like the type” Arthur leaned forward as he asked the question. Arthur felt loose and buzzed. He had changed into street clothes— a shirt and jeans— and his hair was coming out of it’s slicked back style and was starting to fall in his face, curling in places. 

“Oh, I just love working with kids. I’ve always been soft on ‘em since I was a teen and ya know, workin’ with ‘em is just a delight. Everything they do is so cute and they’re so eager to learn new things. It’s quite amazing, I think” he rambled. He felt a little embarrassed for gushing on like that but one look at Arthur and that feeling went away. Arthur was taking in everything he said with consideration and Eames felt his stomach flutter. 

“I think that’s nice. That you get genuine joy from what you do. Not many people can say that” Arthur responded. Eames nodded and took a drink.

“What do you, darling?” He asked, he leant forward so Arthur could hear him over the growing noise.

The bar they were in was loud with people and music. The sound of pool balls clinking together, laughter, and glasses being slammed down filled the room. It was a dimly lit bar, made to set a chill mood. Arthur and Eames were sat in a corner booth, where they could be alone together and just enjoy each other’s company. 

“I work at an architectural place. I draw up plans and blueprints” he answered, playing with the label on his bottle. 

“It’s a nice job,” he continued, “and I love it. Ariadne used to work there, too. She was my intern. I enjoy it. It’s very straightforward for me. What I do, you can’t just wing it, ya know? I like that” he explained, peeling off the label and dropping pieces onto the table. 

Eames nodded, taking in everything he said. Arthur didn’t like to wing things; he liked when things had steps that you could follow, when things made sense and had rules. Drawing up plans for building did that for him.

“So you like control?” Eames asked. Arthur looked at him a little shyly as he nodded. Admitting you like to control in a non-sexual situation was something Arthur wasn’t exactly used to. 

Eames hummed in acknowledgment. He smiled at Arthur, who was taking a drink from his bottle. 

“Another drink?” Arthur asked and Eames nodded. Arthur stood up and took Eames’ bottle and walked to the bar. 

Eames likes Arthur. Eames likes how he talked with his eyes and how he listened to every word Eames said. How he thought carefully before responding, choosing his words carefully and deliberately. He wanted to spend more time with Arthur, get to know him more. 

Arthur returned with more beer and Eames smiled. He held up his drink in a toast and Arthur returned the smile, clinking his bottle against Eames’.

[9:50 pm]

They had been sitting in that booth for two hours, talking about nothing and everything all at once. They discussed basic things like favourite film, favourite food. Eventually, they moved onto things like family— Eames talked about his two sisters and Arthur explained how he was an only child raised by a single mother— they even talked about where they went to college.

They talked and talked, each of them getting more loose and comfortable with the other. Arthur had his head down on the table, listening to Eames drone on about how he loved the colours in Wes Anderson films. Eames had his back against the wall, his legs crossed under him. He’d never felt more comfortable.

“Darling? Darling” Eames said as he shook Arthur’s shoulder. Arthur had fallen asleep. They were both tipsy; not quite drunk but not entirely sober. 

Arthur started, blinking blearily at Eames. He sat up and stretched, yawning as he did. 

“It’s ten minutes till 10:00” Eames said, “D’you need me to call you a cab?” he asked. 

Arthur nodded as he stood up. He might regret this tomorrow if the hangover is gonna be as worse as he thinks. 

A couple minutes later, they were standing out on the curb waiting for Arthur’s cab. Eames had walked, since he only lived 5 minutes away and Arthur drank too much to drive.

“I had fun” Arthur said, turning his head to look at Eames. 

Eames nodded. “Yeah, I had fun, too. We should do this again. But maybe, we can get dinner instead of a bar” he suggested.

Arthur smiled softly. “I’d like that” he said.

The cab pulled up moments later. It was time for Arthur to go.

“Will I see you at the cafe tomorrow?” He asked. Arthur’s words were slurred a little and his eyes were glossed over and unfocused.

“Yep. Same time as today” Eames was holding the cab door open. 

“Hey, let me give you my number” Arthur said.

“Now? Why not tomorrow” Eames pouted. It’s not that he didn’t want Arthur’s number— on the contrary— but he was sleepy. He wanted to sleep.

“Yes, now, hand it over” Arthur made a grabbing motion with hand. Eames sighed and handed Arthur his phone.

“There. Now you have my number” Arthur mumbled as he crawled into the cab. “Use it!” he continued as Eames shut the cab door.

“Goodbye, darling” Eames said, leaning against the cab door.

“Go away, Mr. Eames. The meter’s running” Arthur slurred. He chuckled and backed away. He watched as the cab sped off down the road.

When he got home, he kicked off his shoes, pants, and shirt and got into bed. He was about to sleep before he decided to send a quick message.

**To: arthur**

********

********

**sweet dreams, darling. x**

********

********

[7:30 am, the next day]

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

____

____

Eames hit snooze on his alarm clock with a groan. He checked his phone and saw 5 texts from Ariadne, 10 from Yusuf and… one from Arthur.

**To: Eames**

****

****

**See you soon, Mr. Eames.**

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! i hope you liked it! if not, then i am, once again, so sorry.
> 
> if u want, u can find me on tumblr @ strkindustrys !! <3
> 
> (post-posting note: i figured out how to bold and italics and i am soooo happy omg)


End file.
